


Converting the Tomcat

by Cakedecorator



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Alternate Universe - Coworkers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe Ship It, Cynical Adrien Agreste, Dead Emilie Agreste, Designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, History of Valentine's Day, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Humor, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is Over Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is a Mess, Matchmakers Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Mentioned Chloé Bourgeois, Mentioned Emilie Agreste, Mentioned Gabriel Agreste, Mentioned Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Model Adrien Agreste, Nicknames, Paris (City), References to Canon, She tries to keep it together, Shy Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Sweet Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, minor though, she gets better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29413791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cakedecorator/pseuds/Cakedecorator
Summary: Adrien Agreste is nicknamed Monsieur Bitter Hearts at work due to his negative outlook on Valentine's Day. He dreads the season dedicated to love, and hopes that he can get through one Valentine's Day without random women trying to get in his pants.But things are different this year. He's been tasked to help design and model a line of Valentine's Day clothing. Adrien's also been assigned to work on the line with a criminally-cute new intern, Marinette Dupain-Cheng - who happens to take Valentine's Day very seriously.Meanwhile, Marinette's nervous. She can feel her teenage obsession with Adrien coming back, and she's doing all she can to stay calm and be a professional. But the blonde isn't making it easy on her as the two of them get to know each other.As they continue working together, as Marinette continues to surprise him again and again, Adrien's heart starts to soften.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	Converting the Tomcat

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
> 
> Young Adult, Coworker, No Miraculous AU.
> 
> There's going to be some history of V-Day in this story and a few canon references, too.

At the office/design building for Gabriel, everyone was decorating their cubicles in the office with red, pink, hearts, ribbons, and more. One of the workers brought in a faux red rose bouquet - a faux-quet, as they coined it. They also had paper hearts and cupids everywhere, too.

"Hi there, I got you these." "Aw, thank you!" "Isn't this teddy bear cute?" "Oh, yes! The colors are perfect!"

It was that time of year again: Valentine's Day. Everyone was getting ready for it. Well... _Almost_ everyone.

One of the workers saw blonde hair coming out of his peripheral. He paled, gasped, and he dropped his decoration. He hissed out to his peers, "Heads' up! M. Bitter Hearts is coming!"

On cue, everyone started gathering up the decorations they had in order to hide them.

As the footsteps were getting louder, everyone kept scrambling, one of them saying, "Hide everything!"

"Good morn-" A voice began, forcing everyone to stiffen up and they all turned around to the source of the voice.

A young man in his mid-twenties, with sunshine blonde hair, green eyes like peridots, and tan skin like the sun had blessed him, and wearing nicer, fancier clothes.

"A-Adrien..." One of them said, looking at him nervously. He looked at his hands ad saw he was carrying a V-Day wreath.

Adrien saw the red decoration in his coworkers hands, sighed sadly and said, "...Please get rid of that."

"Yes, sir!" He said before dashing away to dump the thing.

Adrien sighed again before grumpily telling everyone else, "Please, no Valentine's Day stuff. At all."

Everyone moaned in annoyance and disappointment as they began grumbling and getting rid of the decorations. Adrien heard people saying stuff like, "Killjoy" and such.

Adrien shook his head and he turned around before heading down to the studio for his shoot. As he walked through the halls, he would take down anything relating to Valentine's Day.

He saw a flyer for the company Valentine's Day party. He took it down off the walls, crumpled it up into a ball, and he threw it into one of the recycling bins before stuffing his hands in his pockets and continuing to walk to the shoot. His face was towards the ground and he was grumbling.

Up ahead, another worker, a young man around Adrien's age, was carrying a single rose in hand. He looked nervous. When he saw Adrien coming towards him, he panicked a bit before hiding the flower behind his back and rushing down the hall.

"Crap, Monsieur Bitter Hearts almost caught me..." He murmured.

Adrien sighed. Hearing that nickname always hurt. And with every heart, cupid, or rose he saw and removed, Adrien felt his mood sour further.

Once he made it to the studio, he walked in and he looked at the finished set. Silken sheets on sets, amongst other props. It just _screamed_ romance, passion, etc. And the model he was paired with was already there, getting her makeup on.

"Ah, Signor Adrien! Perfect-a timing!" Vincent, the photographer said as he started getting his camera set up. "The young lady's a-nearly finished with hair and wardrobe. She'll be the perfect-a lover girl for this Valetine's Day-a shoot!"

Adrien pulled a sour face as he all but spat at the holiday's name. The model soon came out (a redheaded girl with chocolate-brown eyes), looked at Adrien and she fluttered her eyelashes at him in what she _thought_ was a demure manner. But to Adrien, it looked like yet another girl desperate for attention from him for whatever shallow reason.

She approached, but she remained out of his space and kept her hands in front of her.

"Hello, M. Bit- er, M. Agreste," She said. "I'm Anastasia. I'm honored to work with you today."

Adrien gave her a nod and said, "Let's do a good job today."

"Okay! Places, everyone, and we shall get-a started on this shoot!" Vincent said.

Adrien held back a sigh and he thought, _'I'd better get this over with.'_

They went on set, and the two of them were working very well together. They did several poses where Anastasia had to touch Adrien in places he normally wouldn't like. One shot had her cover herself in the sheets as if she were naked, and sit on Adrien's lap while his chest was completely bare and his hair was mussed up for the shoot.

With each picture, the two of them were forced closer and closer. There were cheek kisses, Adrien touching her in places he would _never_ put his hands, poses he felt uncomfortable doing in real life, etc..

"And... We're-a finished!" Vincent said as he took the last picture. "That's-a wrap!"

Anastasia immediately got out of Adrien's space, took the sheet off, and she said, "Good work today."

"You too." Adrien said as he immediately put his shirt back on. He chanced a glance at her, only to see she was looking at him as if she'd seen her favorite food.

She shook her head, turned to leave, and once she was a safe distance away, she immediately started acting like an entitled fangirl, her phone out and going gaga over the fact that she modeled with Adrien Agreste.

Adrien sighed.

Unfortunately, his popularity with women was only _one_ of the reasons Adrien didn't look at Valentine's Day very positively. There were many who'd try and get at him, and only liked him for looks and wealth, not who he _really_ was.

The same could be said for Chloé Bourgeois, his former "childhood friend" and the mayor's daughter. She'd try to kiss and hug him without asking, too. She also set him up for failure a few times, too. One Valentine's Day, she once tricked him into signing a _huge_ poster of himself for her that wound up upsetting a lot of his fans because it made him look like he claimed that he and Chloé were a thing. Once he cleared that up, he ended his friendship with her.

"Excellent work, Adrien," Nathalie Sancoeur, his father's right hand woman said. She was a woman wearing a black suit, black hair with a red streak in a bun, glasses, and a tablet in hand said. "I'll report to your father. Return to work."

"Yes, Nathalie..." Adrien murmured as he left the studio, a little depressed.

Not even three steps out the door...

_*SLAM*_

Adrien was on his back and nearly hit his head. He moaned, "Ow..."

"Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." A feminine voice said Adrien heard the sound of papers rustling around.

He sat up, a bit dizzy, and he blinked a few times to clear his vision. He looked at the woman, and saw she was sitting on her knees, gathering up her materials. She had dark hair in a top bun with a few tendrils of hair loose, wearing a red pencil skirt with black spots, and a matching black bow on the band. Her shirt was a black crop top, she was wearing black nylon stockings with black flats, and she had her head down.

As she raised her head to look at who she knocked over, Adrien saw she hadn't any makeup on aside from lip gloss. Her eyes were blue like robin eggs with naturally-thick black eyelashes.

"I-" She began, only for her face to turn totally red and her eyes to go wide. _"OH MY GOD! I'm so sorry!"_

Caught off-guard, Adrien said, "I, um...? It's fine."

The young lady hurriedly gathered up what she spilled and she clutched everything to her chest.

"I-I-I..." She stammered as her eyes started darting around.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Y-Yes, I am!" She squeaked.

"You sure?" He questioned, a little confused.

"Yes, I am," Marinette said as the two of them made eye contact. Her eyes widened again. "Holy cow, you're...!"

"I'm...?" Adrien asked.

"You... You're _Adrien Agreste!"_ She said, before covering her mouth.

"Yes, I am." He said, all but sighing at the routine reaction from women he'd get.

"I am _SO_ sorry! Had I known it was you, I'd-!" She squeaked again before flailing her hands and trying to find something to say.

Adrien reached closer to see if he could help, but she stood up, looked at her Apple Watch, and she said, "Crap! I'm gonna be late! Sorry!"

Like a bat out of hell, she ran into the studio, leaving Adrien dumbfounded. He stood up, shrugged, and went back to his work station in the building.

Later that evening, Adrien was having dinner at his apartment that he shared with his best friend, Nino Lahiffe, a DJ. The aforementioned man had tan skin, short black hair in a red cap, and was wearing more casual clothes, especially compared to the high-end clothes that Adrien would often wear.

"How was the grind today, dude?" Nino asked as he took out two cold beers for the two of them, along with the meal that they made together (honey-roasted salmon with kale and white bean salad on a bed of quinoa).

"The usual," Adrien admitted as he ate some salmon. "But there was _one_ thing that stood out to me today."

"What? That's unusual." Nino commented.

"I was finishing up a photoshoot, but as I was walking out the door, I slammed into a woman." He told Nino.

"But don't women throw themselves at you all the time?" Nino asked.

"They do, but that's not what happened this time around," Adrien added. "In fact, she seemed kind of scared. She knew who I was, but she bolted almost instantly."

"That's unexpected," Nino commented. "Maybe she's new and she was scared of your father?"

"That wouldn't be unreasonable, I guess," Adrien stated before swallowing the quinoa. "So, how's Alya?"

"Damn, Alya's been in a happy mood today," Nino laughed. "You know that BFF she's always talking about? She just started her internship today and Alya's been pulling for her to have a great first day, dude."

"That's good." Adrien stated.

"...So, you doing anything on the 14th?" Nino asked.

"No, as always," Adrien sighed, knowing where the conversation was going. "I assume you and Alya have a date?"

"Oh, we sure do!" Nino said. "I really wanna do something special for her!"

"That's good," Adrien said as he ate another bite of kale. "Hope you and Alya have a good time."

"Thanks, dude," Nino replied. "But V-Day would be the bomb if you could join us! You should meet Alya's BFF. She'd-"

"Please don't," Adrien said. "You know how I am about Valentine's Day, and you _know_ that I hate it when you and Alya try setting me up."

"Sorry dude," Nino spoke. "But I feel horrible when Alya and I go out on dates and you're here all alone."

"Thanks for thinking of me, Nino." Adrien thanked as he tried to smile.

* * *

The next day at Gabriel, Adrien was working on some paperwork in his office when he heard a knock on the door.

"Adrien, it's Nathalie." A woman's voice said.

"Come in." Adrien murmured.

Nathalie came in, followed by the same woman Adrien crashed into the day before. He perked up a bit at the sight of her and he sat up straighter.

"Adrien, this is our newest intern, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Nathalie said. "Your father was quite impressed with her portfolio, and he hired her on the spot."

Adrien looked at Marinette, who blushed and her eyes went askance.

"You two are going to be working together on more of our Valentine's Day clothes: a line of men's suits and women's clothes." Nathalie said.

Adrien pulled an uncomfortable, almost angry face, but he quickly put that expression away. Marinette's eyes widened, as if scared, and her cheeks went red. Maintaining professionalism, Adrien stood up from his seat and he walked over to her. She seemed to get more skittish as he got closer.

He held out his hand and he said, "Nice to meet you."

"N-N-Nice to meet you too," Marinette said as she held her hand out, too. Her eyes were still askance. "I-I look forward to working with you, M. Agreste."

"Please, call me Adrien," Adrien said, sounding a little somber. "M. Agreste is my father."

"O-O-Okay." Marinette said, looking ashamed.

They shook hands, and for some reason, Adrien felt _something_ as their skin touched. He couldn't understand what that something was, but it was _something_. He looked at her, only to see she still wasn't looking him in the eyes, and she seemed like she was having trouble breathing.

"I'll leave the two of you to it." Nathalie said as she left the room.

After a few seconds of silence, Adrien broke the ice and asked, "So... Shall we get started?"

Marinette took a deep breath and she said, "Yes."

A few minutes later, they were in a conference room, talking about the line of clothes for Valentine's Day.

"So, we're going to stick to white and black, and then shades of red and pink for the women's side of the line, right?" Adrien questioned.

"Right," Marinette said as she started writing down the details. "Black, white, and red are easy enough. I know it's becoming more acceptable for men to wear pink, but along with the stereotypical shades, we can go darker for some of the men's clothes."

"Good thinking." Adrien told her with a smile, causing her to blush.

"O... Okay," Marinette said before waving her hand in front of her face. "I-I'm thinking we go mahogany red for the dress, including a low-cut sweetheart neckline, a slit up one of the legs, and a longish trail behind, paired with mahogany heels and burgundy roses for accessories."

She came over to Adrien and showed him her tablet sketch. It resembled Jessica Rabbit's dress, but without the sparkles. There were also cap leg-o-mutton sleeves and the same pleated effect on the hips.

"Wow, a dress a la Jessica Rabbit," Adrien said. "Looks amazing!"

"Thanks." Marinette said, redder than a ladybug shell as she stepped away and started working on another design.

"So, that's one dress down, how many more to go?" Adrien asked.

"W-W-We need at least three or four more date- er, dresses, about five suits, and any other miscellaneous accessories." Marinette stated, covering her mouth at her slip-up.

"Then we'd better get to it," Adrien said. He heard something beep and he looked at his watch-phone. "Uh-oh. I've got another meeting. Let me walk you back to your cubicle?"

"I'd love- _er_ , I mean, I'd like that." Marinette said, shaking her head.

Adrien held the door open and Marinette walked out, her tablet clutched to her chest. Adrien shut the door and began walking alongside her, still talking details about their assignments.

Adrien couldn't help but notice that his colleagues were giving them weird looks and some of them were already gossiping.

"Monsieur Bitter Hearts with a woman? Never thought I'd see the day." "Has hell had a blizzard?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable. Marinette was too focused on her tablet sketches to listen.

As Marinette went to her cubicle on the floor, she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Marinette," Adrien said. "I'll see you later."

Adrien turned around and went back to walking to his office, but he could feel the eyes of the others on him. He sighed as he kept tuning out the mutterings and the gossip of the other workers.

* * *

That evening, Adrien had parked the car in apartment's lot, and he got out. He adjusted his jacket, breathed out a breath of air he could see, and he started walking up to the apartment.

Once he got to the door, he heard a woman's laughter, and he recognized the voice to be Alya's. He used his key to unlock the door and he said, "I'm back, Nino!"

"Hey dude!" Nino shouted from another room.

As Adrien walked into the kitchen/living room area and got himself some water from the fridge, he turned around and his eyes widened in surprise at what, or rather _who_ he saw was there.

On the sofa was Marinette, drinking some water.

"Marinette?!" He said, surprised to see her.

Marinette looked up and her eyes widened in shock.

"Adrien?!" Marinette questioned back as she stood up and looked at him in surprise.

 _"What are you doing here?"_ They both asked simultaneously. _"I could ask YOU the same thing!"_

"This is my apartment." Adrien explained, multiple scenarios running through his head, some of which he'd had to worry about in the past.

"Your apart... Wait, _you're_ Nino's roommate?" Marinette asked, pointing at him. Her face became thoughtful, as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Yes, I... Hold up, how do _you_ know Nino?" Adrien questioned.

"I've known him since preschool. He's my bestie's boyfriend." Marinette told him.

"So _you're_ Alya Césaire's BFF?" Adrien asked.

"That's right." Marinette confirmed.

The two of them looked at each other in surprise. They heard stifled laughter from around a wall, and turned around to see Nino and Alya (a tan-skinned woman with hazel eyes behind glasses, dark red hair, and wearing orange) were trying their best not to let their giggles out.

"Nino, _what_ is going on here?" Adrien asked, crossing his arms and looking at his best friend in confusion.

"Gee, dude, I thought I told you my girl and her bestie were going to be here tonight." Nino said in an innocent tone.

"Alya, you told me Nino's roommate wasn't going to be home until late!" Marinette said to Alya.

"I didn't think he'd be home this early." Alya told Marinette, also acting innocent.

Neither designer nor model bought their act. After sighing, they looked at each other with awkward expressions.

"Hey, don't be such Debbie-Downers, dudes," Nino said. "We're all here, so let's eat! Alya cooked up a nice jambalaya with chicken, sausage, and shrimp."

"Really?" Marinette asked in delight, but her face fell. "Um... You _did_ make it mild, right?"

"Of course, girl." Alya said with a giggle.

Marinette and Adrien sat at the table, sitting across from each other in silence. Marinette was red in the face, she was looking down anxiously, and she had a death grip on her skirt as she tried to look like she was cool as a cucumber.

Adrien, on the other hand, had his cheek in his hand and his elbow on the table, all but dreading the following meal.

Alya and Nino were in the kitchen, serving up the jambalaya in four different bowls.

"Make sure Adrien gets a good one, babe." Nino said to Alya.

She nodded and gave Adrien a fairly healthy portion of the jambalaya in his bowl before turning to the counter and saying, "Now, for garnishes..."

Nino looked at the jambalaya bowls before smiling at the one intended for Adrien...

As the two of them sat down at the table, sitting next to their respective best friend/roommate, they started talking about their lives and their pasts.

"So, Marinette tells me you two met in preschool?" Adrien asked.

"Yep," Nino said as he ate a bite of jambalaya. "Alya didn't come into the picture until later."

" _Years_ later," Alya laughed. "I met Nino and Marinette back in junior high. Helped her with some blonde bitch and her lackey that were picking on her and we've been attached at the hip ever since."

"But what about you and Nino?" Adrien asked. "You two have been together since around that time, right?"

"Yeah, but they didn't date until a little while after," Marinette said before laughing. "It was the weirdest thing: we were at the zoo, and Alya was running late."

After swallowing his bite, Nino rubbed his head in embarrassment and said, "Truth is, I was actually trying to confess a crush on Marinette, dude."

Adrien's eyes popped open at that tidbit before asking, "Really?"

"Yep," Nino said as he picked up some chicken and rice on his fork. "I was so nervous to come out with my feelings that I ended up putting my foot in my mouth and telling her that I was in love with Alya."

"And without talking to me first, Marinette started going on about setting us up together." Alya laughed.

"Hey, I learned my lesson from that, didn't I?" Marinette defended.

"Yeah, you did, girl." Alya giggled.

Nino and Marinette laughed, too.

"Anyway, I was on my way to the two of them when somehow, the black panther and all of the other animals broke out and started rampaging around the zoo," Alya explained. "We got scattered and the next thing I know, I wound up locked up in one of the exhibits with Nino while Marinette hid elsewhere."

"After all the animals got corralled, I was going to break the news to Nino, but it turned out the entire time, they were chatting it up and before I knew it, they were a couple." Marinette finished.

"Wow, that's pretty crazy." Adrien said.

"What about you?" Marinette asked. "Any wild stories like that?"

"No," Adrien admitted, his distress with life showing on his face. "I seldom got out of the house outside of the activities my father made me do."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were homeschooled up until university, right?" Alya asked.

"Right." Adrien said as he sighed and looked down at his food.

"Hey dude, aren't you gonna eat? Alya worked her ass off on this meal." Nino said to him.

"Oh, right..." Adrien said as he took up some of the rice and shrimp on his fork.

Adrien took a bite, but once the utensil was in his mouth and the food hit his tongue, his eyes widened, the sound of a kettle hissing was easily heard, his face turned red from the heat, he began sweating, and after swallowing, he held his throat with one hand while covering his mouth with the other.

"So, how is it?" Marinette asked Adrien as she ate some sausage.

"It's... It's... HOT-HOT-HOT! _HOT!"_ Adrien screamed as he opened his mouth and wheezed, he held his neck in a chokehold, tears running down his face, and stood up from his chair.

Marinette got up and grabbed Adrien's hand. With the blonde in tow, she ran into the kitchen, threw the fridge open, and her eyes rapidly looked around before seeing the key to cooling off a spicy meal: whole milk.

She grabbed the jug, quickly opened it and poured it into a glass (making quite the mess with spilling) and she handed it over to Adrien.

"Drink slowly!" She instructed as Adrien grabbed the glass and started slowly sucking in the fluid.

He took the glass away, and sighed in a bit of relief.

Nino and Alya came in and watched as Adrien was trying to cool his mouth off. He waved his hand in front of his open mouth and lolling tongue.

"Is he okay?!" Alya asked in fright.

"I am now," Adrien said before coughing and turning to Marinette. "Thank you."

"You're weddi- eh, you're welcome!" Marinette said.

"Damn, that was some spicy food..." Adrien moaned as he kept drinking the milk.

"Alya, you told me you made it mild!" Marinette said, indignant and freaked out.

"I _did!_ " Alya insisted. "I just didn't realize Adrien had such a low heat tolerance!"

Adrien swallowed more of the milk, coughed, and breathed slowly and heavily.

"You okay, Adrien?" Marinette asked as she pat Adrien's back.

"I'm fine," Adrien said hoarsely. "I wasn't expecting the jambalaya to be that spicy."

"That's so weird. I only used cherry peppers and shishitos in this." Alya said, confused.

Marinette looked at Adrien in sympathy as he coughed once again. The blonde looked at her and saw that she looked very endearing in the lights of the kitchen...

After dinner, Adrien and Marinette were sitting on the couch, playing the latest game in the Ultimate Mecha Strike series.

"Okay, now a triple combo strike..." Marinette said as her fingers flew over the controls and moved her mech on the screen.

Her mech was created to resemble a ladybug while Adrien's looked like a black cat.

"And BOOM! YES!" Marinette said, cheering and raising her hands up in victory.

Adrien sighed and said, "Wow. You're good at this."

"Darn right I am," Marinette said with a laugh. "This is my favorite video game series!"

"You too?" Adrien asked, a smile on his face.

"Yeah! Max and I were the winners of a school-wide tournament for this game." Marinette said.

"No wonder you kicked my ass." Adrien laughed.

Meanwhile, Alya was in the kitchen area, sampling the leftover jambalaya, and she said, "I _swear_ it was made to be mild!"

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around. Nino looked at her, took out a small bottle of hot sauce (poblano pepper hot sauce) and winked at her.

Alya smiled a bit and she knowingly said, "Oh, I see... Nice one, Nino!"

Nino chuckled before saying, "No pun intended, but I wanted to really _heat up_ the budding romance. And it worked."

Alya did a low-five with Nino before turning to their friends to watch them play the game. They were laughing, throwing barbs at each other, and just enjoying each other's company.

Later at the girls' apartment...

"Alya, I can't believe that you and Nino set me up that way!" Marinette scolded, her face as red as a tomato.

"Hey, you tried doing the same thing with me and Nino, remember?" Alya told her.

"Yeah, you're right," Marinette sighed as she slumped onto the couch. "But you _know_ how uncomfortable I was at work with him on my first day! It felt like my teen years were about to rush back!"

"I know girl. You were _obsessed_ with Adrien," Alya laughed. "All those pictures of him on your walls, your screensaver, the whole bit. You were also talking about figuring out his entire year schedule before I stopped you and told you how bad that was. It was both funny and sad to watch."

"Don't remind me... What was I thinking back then?" Marinette said as she held her head in her hands in dismay.

"You were a young girl with a nearly all-consuming celebrity crush, girl," Alya said. "But as we got older, seeing you move away from that was also very wholesome."

"Over time I realized that it was hopeless to pine after someone I would probably never meet," Marinette sighed. "So, I decided to let it go. But now that I'm gonna be _working_ with him, all of those feelings and fantasies are beginning to come back."

"But you were _totally_ okay at dinner," Alya said. "It was like the two of you have known each other for years! You were able to talk without word vomiting and you were in your element with those video games."

Marinette was about to protest, but she paused when she thought about Alya's statement.

"Y... You're right," Marinette told her with a sigh. "But it doesn't matter how I felt back then, and how I feel now doesn't mean anything, either. We're coworkers now, and I need to be a professional."

Alya looked at her best friend in sadness before putting her hand on her shoulder.

With Adrien and Nino...

"So, what do you think of Marinette?" Nino asked as the two of them got some whiskey out.

"She's nice," Adrien offhandedly commented as he read his book. "Great at video games."

"But dude, you gotta admit that she's cute," Nino persisted. "Take it from your bro who liked her before he met his soulmate."

Adrien sighed as he turned the page and said, "Listen, Nino, any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"That's it?" Nino asked as he sipped his hooch. "Your heart didn't beat just the tiniest bit faster when she was helping you earlier?"

"Yeah, my heart was speeding up, but that was from the food." Adrien insisted.

"Come on, dude, there's gotta be more to it than that, right?" Nino asked.

"No," Adrien stated. "She's also a coworker. I can't be all buddy-buddy with her. Gotta be a professional."

"Dude, you really _are_ Monsieur Bitter Hearts." Nino spat with a scowl.

Adrien sighed, rolled his eyes, and continued reading his book.

The screen split in two down the middle, Alya and Nino sighed in annoyance before thinking to themselves, _'This is gonna be harder than we thought.'_

* * *

The next day at work, Marinette and Adrien had finished up more of the designs and gave them Nathalie.

The results...

"Not good enough." Nathalie said as she looked over the designs before handing them back to Marinette.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"You're on the right track, but we need something that's more inspired." Nathalie said.

"Inspired?" Adrien questioned.

"Yes. Valentine's Day is all about passion and inspiration," Nathalie said. "I get _some_ passion, but there's no inspiration. It's all very cut-and-dry."

"We'll go back and redo them." Marinette said.

"How about the two of you go out into the city and look around? Getting out every now and again can help." Nathalie suggested.

"But during work? That doesn't-" Adrien began.

"That's an order." Nathalie stated.

"...Understood." Adrien said as he sighed before walking out of the office. Marinette was in tow.

Nathalie couldn't help but smile faintly.

Out in the city, they were at the Champs-Élysées avenue where all the local small businesses were fully decked out for Valentine's Day. Adrien was walking alongside Marinette, not really engaged by anything in the area. Marinette, on the other hand, was enthusiastically looking around.

"Oh wow, this is so cute!" Marinette squealed as she ran to the closest candy shop nearby.

In the window was a display that had a pink tablecloth, and the display was made of a bunch of heart-shaped candies such as giant lollipops, heart-shapped peanut butter cups, candy-covered chocolates in shades of red, pink, and white, and in the center was a humongous, red heart-shaped box of chocolates with some of the chocolates spilling out.

"The colors on these chocolates with the candies could be used as sequins on one of the dresses! OOH! And doesn't the sheen on this lollipop look like it would fit on a suit's handkerchief?!" Marinette said as she examined the display and started taking notes.

Adrien stifled a chuckle as he watched the woman rush around.

She turned around and saw another window display, this time a bunch of stuffed animals that had red, pink, white, hearts, cuteness, everything Valentine's Day.

"Oh, this is adorable, too!" Marinette cooed as she looked at the centerpiece bear, which was red with a white stomach and hearts for the inside of its ears, and pink heart beads for the eyes and nose.

"This white/pink fur would look great for a purse for some of the accessories!" Marinette said before turning around. "What do you think, Adrien?!"

Adrien shrugged and said, "Honestly... It's whatever. You're the designer."

"Hey! What do you mean "whatever," Adrien?! Valentine's Day is serious business! And you need to give some input, too since we're both working on this!" Marinette said as he came over to her.

"Isn't Valentine's Day just some day created to sell merchandise?" Adrien asked.

"Um, _no!_ " Marinette said as the two of them started walking down the streets. "Listen, Valentine's Day dates back at least to the Roman Empire."

"They celebrated it even back then?" Adrien questioned.

"Not quite," Marinette began. "During the rule of Emperor Claudius II, AKA Claudius the Cruel, Rome was part of a lot of ghastly, bloody wars that weren't very popular amongst the people."

"How does that connect?" Adrien asked.

"Well, he had a hard time maintaining and recruiting soldiers, and his reasoning at the time was that they weren't willing to leave their wives and families for war." Marinette continued.

"Which is valid." Adrien agreed.

"Yeah," Marinette stated. "So, Claudius II made engagements and marriages illegal in Rome."

 _"What?!"_ Adrien asked. "That's ridiculous!"

"That's what Valentine, a priest at the time, thought, so he defied that law and performed marriages illegally," Marinette explained. "Legend has it that when he was caught and jailed, he befriended his jailer's daughter, and the day of his execution, he wrote her a goodbye letter that he signed "From Your Valentine". Not only that, but his execution date was February 14. He was named a Saint after his sentence was carried out."

"Which is where we get Valentine's Day." Adrien summarized.

"Bingo." Marinette said pointing a finger gun at him.

"I never thought of it like that," Adrien admitted. "I... I'm not the biggest on Valentine's Day."

"Come on, you can't tell me you don't remember at least _one_ good Valentine's Day from your childhood, right?" Marinette asked him with a smile. "Like seeing your parents all lovey-dovey with each other?"

Adrien's heart ached and face fell.

Marinette was right: he didn't _always_ see Valentine's Day through cyan-colored glasses. When his mother was alive, it was one of the most romantic days of the year in the house. His father would go all out. Roses, hearts, the whole enchilada. Adrien himself would go crazy with flowers and homemade treats he'd try making (which would've easily landed him on "Worst Bakers in America").

It was one of those days of the year that he looked forward to (other than his birthday or Christmas) that he saw the rare emotional, romantic, physically-affectionate side of his father. Seeing his parents' happy marriage made him dream of his own romantic fairytale.

But when Emilie passed away, his father become a cold, empty shell. Controlling, distant, strict... It wasn't long until Adrien lost _both_ parents. Valentine's Day became a taboo subject outside of business.

Marinette saw his body language and she said, "Sorry... Let's get back to it."

She saw something out of her peripheral vision and she squealed, "Oh, this is beautiful!"

Marinette ran to a jewelry store window display and looked inside. Adrien walked over and saw that her eyes were glued to a ruby and onyx ladybug pendant on a simple silver chain.

"Wow." Adrien said offhandedly.

"I wish I could get this for myself!" Marinette sighed. "But it's so expensive."

Adrien looked at the price tag and realized that while it might be petty cash for him, for anyone else, it may not be.

"That's too bad," Adrien said before looking forward. He sighed and he started walking away again. "Anyway, let's go..."

Marinette gave him a sad look before following after him.

* * *

Later that night, Alya and Marinette were at their apartment, talking about their work days.

"So, you and Adrien were out on the town instead of the office today, huh?" Alya asked, holding a glass of water.

"For work, Alya, yes," Marinette said to her before moaning. "Ugh, I acted like such a little girl seeing all that Valentine's Day stuff!"

"Girl, we all know how much of a V-Day fanatic you are," Alya laughed. "He didn't criticize you for it, did he?"

"No," Marinette sighed. "And I gave him a lecture on Valentine's Day's history."

"All that research back in the day really helped," Alya giggled. "I'm surprised he chose to listen to you."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"Didn't you know? His workplace nickname is "Monsieur Bitter Hearts" because he's pretty bitter about Valentine's Day," Alya told her. "After years of dealing with women trying to attract him for all the wrong reasons, he just grew to hate it."

""Monsieur Bitter Hearts"? What kind of nickname is _that?_ " Marinette asked.

"Not a very nice one, that's for sure." Alya giggled.

"...Wow..." Marinette said as she drank some of her water.

On the boys' end...

"So, you and Marinette were out today?" Nino asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Adrien admitted as he sipped some wine. "She was pretty peppy about all the Valentine's Day stuff at the Champs-Élysées."

"The Champs-Élysées, huh?" Nino questioned, a knowing look.

"Don't give me that look, Nino," Adrien said to him. "Nathalie sent us out to get inspiration for the line."

"But you said that she was peppy, didn't you?" Nino asked again.

"Yes, and I admit that seeing a woman go nuts over something other than me was a breath of fresh air." Adrien said, a smile coming up onto his face.

"I don't think I've seen you so at ease with anyone other than me and Alya, dude." Nino admitted.

Adrien looked up and while letting his smile stay, he said, "...Yeah, I don't think I have, either."

At work the next day, Marinette was taking Adrien's measurements for the men's portion of the Valentine's Day line. She was right behind him as she took the measurements of his arms.

Marinette's heart was pounding a mile a minute and she was internally praying that he couldn't hear it.

 _'Keep it together, Marinette.'_ Marinette thought as she took the measuring tape away before writing the measurements down.

"I can't wait to see the final products, Marinette," Adrien said. "If your sketches are any indication, you've got talent."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette thanked as she went in front of him to start taking his waist measurements. "I still can't believe the idea of a faux fur-lined handbag to go with the sequin dress got the green light."

"I'm not," Adrien said to her. "You were really enthusiastic about your ideas and you utilized the sequins to actually look like a rose on the dress instead. It really works on paper."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah." Adrien assured as Marinette kept working.

As she wrapped the measuring tape around him, she lowered her head to avoid looking the model in the eyes because she was still redder than an apple. She could smell his cologne, which was fresh and clean, with some hints of bergamot. She tried to ignore it.

"And... There." Marinette said as she quickly removed the tape.

As she stepped past him and her hair bounced, Adrien's nose was tickled with the subtle aroma of Madagascar vanilla bean, cherry blossoms, and chocolate. The inside of his cheeks tingled as his parotid glands (salivary glands at the back of the cheeks) were about to go into overdrive. His heart also squeezed for a second.

"Hey, do you smell chocolate?" Adrien asked.

"Huh? Chocolate?" Marinette asked him, giving him a confused expression.

Adrien sniffed the air, meanwhile Marinette walked back over to him. Adrien couldn't pinpoint where the aroma was coming from, but he soon realized that the delicious smell was from the woman with him.

"Hey... Is that your perfume?" Adrien said to her.

Marinette gave him a questioning look and she asked, "Perfume?"

"Yeah, I thought I smelled cherry blossom and vanilla bean just now..." Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing. "I guess that was your perfume."

"I don't _wear_ perfume." Marinette began, giving Adrien a contorted face.

"You don't?" Adrien asked, surprised. "Then..."

"Well, my parents own a bakery and I still work there part-time, so I guess the scents of their products linger on me." Marinette admitted as she continued sketching on her tablet to add the measurements to the notes.

"Really?" Adrien asked, smiling. "I'm so used to working with models that smell like they shower in cheap or expired perfumes. It's _scents-_ _ory_ overload."

He smiled in confidence, but he turned to Marinette and saw she was looking at him as if he'd grown a horn or something.

"Did you... You _didn't_..." Marinette moaned as she face-palmed. "Did you just _pun_ _?!_ Seriously?"

"Um, yeah. I've got a _sweet_ sense of humor, huh?" Adrien joked again.

"No." Marinette sighed as she continued working.

 _'She's so cute,'_ Adrien thought, but his eyes widened a second when he realized it. _'Wait, what?'_

Adrien shook his head and continued, "So, your parents run a bakery?"

"Oh, yeah," Marinette said as she turned back to Adrien and started on a spiel. "The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. I actually designed their logo. They taught me how to make so many desserts! Macarons, croissants, you name it!"

Marinette kept prattling on, with Adrien listening intently. They were still working on the suits, but at that moment, Adrien was more interested in the woman and her life.

Unknown to them, Nathalie was watching their interactions and smiling faintly. She stepped away and let them continue their work.

That evening at home...

Alya was sitting on the couch, laughing, kicking her legs, and holding her stomach.

"It's not funny, Alya," Marinette insisted. "I hadn't realized Adrien Agreste of all people was a pun-spewing dork! Who knew?"

" _I_ did," Alya said with a laugh. "Yeah, his puns are horrible, but you gotta admit, it makes him a lot more endearing, huh?"

"No." Marinette insisted.

"Girl, if there's one thing I know about that Sunshine Child, it's that if he's punning around you, then he's _definitely_ getting comfortable with your presence." Alya told her.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"Adrien _never_ drops a pun unless he's with me or Nino," Alya told her. "He can't really be himself unless he's away from anything about his father. And the fact that he was so interested in listening to you about your parents is key, too."

Marinette looked at Alya in awe as she let this sink in.

"Maybe he might be starting to _like you?_ " Alya said in singsong.

Marinette blushed at the notion and her heart skipped a beat. Adrien Agreste, her teen-hood obsession, someone she admired but never thought she'd meet in real life, actually _liking_ her?

"I... I don't know." Marinette admitted.

"You're such a likable girl, Marinette," Alya said. "The people who hate on you have issues, and if Adrien's comfortable with you, then you're _definitely_ something special."

Marinette sighed and said, "Maybe so, but even if that were true, I can't be like a giddy teen again while on the job. As much as I did, and _still_ do like him, I can't act on it. It's improper."

"That's true..." Alya said as she looked at her friend sadly.

On the boys' end...

Adrien was smiling wistfully as he thought of Marinette's reaction to his earlier pun, how peaceful he felt when he smelled bakery goods on her, imagining all the fun she must have had as a child, and he loosed a contented sigh.

"Hey Adrien?" Nino asked.

Adrien wasn't listening, Marinette still on his mind.

"Dude?" Nino prompted again, without any response.

Instead of answering, Adrien sighed.

 _"ADRIEN, YOUR FATHER'S AT THE DOOR!"_ Nino shouted.

Adrien looked up and shouted in fright, saying, "Ack!"

Once he looked around and saw that no one other than Nino was there, Adrien asked, "What's up, Nino?"

"You've been distracted today." Nino said to him.

"W-Well... I had a pretty good day today." Adrien chuckled.

"Really? How so?" Nino asked.

"Marinette and I made great progress on the line," Adrien explained. "She's got some skill and artistry in her designs. Getting out on the town really helped. She's already got my measurements for some of the suits she's working on."

"Anything else interesting happen?" Nino asked, a smile coming onto his face.

"When she was close to me, she smelled so sweet," Adrien said, blushing a bit. "Once I brought it up, she told me so many stories about her life in her parents' bakery. I envy her for having such great parents."

"Yeah, her parents' goods are the best." Nino agreed.

"I couldn't resist, I said something along the lines of how constantly having women with overwhelming perfumes around me was _scents-ory_ overload. She hated that pun and-"

"Dude, you dropped a pun? At work?" Nino said, cutting his friend off.

"Yeah, I did." Adrien said as he poured some water for himself to drink.

"You _never_ pun at work!" Nino pointed out.

Adrien looked up and he said, "...I don't?"

"No! You only drop those bad jokes when you're at ease. When you're here, away from all of that crap your father puts you through." Nino stated.

Adrien looked at his roommate and he said, "...Yeah, I've noticed that, too."

"Dude, you're definitely starting to get comfortable around Marinette." Nino said to him.

"...Yeah, I am." Adrien said.

Nino sighed, tipping his cap over his face, hiding a smile.

* * *

Another two or three days passed, and nothing out of the ordinary happened until one stormy day in Paris. The sky was dark with depressing-looking clouds, there were raindrops dripping, and flashes of lightning preceding the sound of thunder rumbled out every now and again.

Marinette and Adrien were working on one of the suits for the line. They had a mannequin, the table had some of the materials, and the sketch both on a tablet and in paper form. The suit's design was burgundy red with a black dress shirt, a black handkerchief, and matching black shoes with a burgundy necktie.

"Okay, now to sew this cuff here..." Marinette said as she was working on the sleeves of the suit. "Now, what about cufflinks?"

"I think the idea of using black heart-shaped cufflinks for the suits is a great idea. The symbol for Valentine's Day, but it isn't smacking anyone over the head over it like a tacky heart-decorated necktie." Adrien told her.

Marinette blushed with a giggle, and while her back was still turned to him, she said, "T-Thanks, Adrien."

She turned around to look at her workspace.

"Uh-oh!" Marinette said.

"What is it?" Adrien questioned.

"We're out of black fabric for the handkerchief and dress shirt," Marinette said as she put her fingers to her chin in thought. "I mean... I _think_ I can swing this design with a different color, but..."

"Don't worry," Adrien said as he went to the door. "We have a supply closet filled with all of that. Follow me."

Adrien opened the door and held it open for her. Marinette giggled as she walked out the door, with Adrien behind her.

Adrien slid right in front of her, and in an overdramatic manner, he dipped down and gestured with his arms as he said, "Right this way."

Marinette giggled again as Adrien started leading her to the closet.

Everyone was watching, and they were amused, bemused, and wondering _what_ the hell was happening.

"Am I seeing things?" "Is that Monsieur Bitter Hearts _smiling?_ " "And not in front of a camera to boot?" "It's refreshing to see." "If this is a dream, don't wake me up!" "Maybe he'll stop being such a wet blanket at the company party."

Ignoring everyone's comments, Adrien brought Marinette over to the closet, and opened the door while turning on the lights.

"Here it is." Adrien said.

Marinette walked in and she gasped at the sight of the all the fabric bolts in the shelves on the walls.

"Oh, this is perfect! Come on!" Marinette said as she ran in with Adrien in tow. He shut the door.

Marinette bustled around the closet like a kid in a candy store at all the fabrics and decorations for the clothes.

"This is great, but..." Marinette said. "Where's the black fabric we need for the shirt and handkerchief?"

"Up on that shelf." Adrien said, gesturing to the top shelf.

Marinette looked up and saw that it was too high for her to reach. She looked around, and saw that there was a step stool. She ran over and brought it over to the shelf she needed.

She went on top of the shelf and she began reaching for what she needed.

Adrien, on the other hand, watched as she saw how focused she was and how she was trying her best to get the job done. He also got a good look at her legs from where he was standing. Realizing what he was thinking, he turned his face away, unaware of the redness in his cheeks beginning to blossom.

"Aha! Here we go! Just what we need." Marinette said as she grabbed the black fabric.

As she was stepping down on the stool, she misstepped, she screamed, freaked out and started flailing her arms while dropping her load as she began falling.

"I've got you!" Adrien shouted as he ran forward with his hands out. Marinette fell into Adrien's arms, only for the two of them to wind up crashing on the floor, with Marinette on top of Adrien.

Marinette's head was right in his chest, under his chin. For the briefest of moments, Adrien's nose was once again blessed with Marinette's soft, natural aroma of vanilla bean and cherry blossom honey. His mouth was beginning to water and he looked down at her. He heard the thunder rolling outside, though he mistook it for his heartbeat for a split-second. Losing himself, he leaned his head in closer to her forehead, his lips slowly pursing...

"I'm sorry!" Marinette said, immediately getting up and off from him. She scooted away before getting on her knees, making sure her back was to him.

Adrien's heart sank a bit at her absence, and he also sat up. His red face hidden by the darkness of the closet, Adrien was able to get away with saying, "It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay."

Unknown to him, Marinette's face was matching his own, but she was gathering up the items they came for. Her heart was racing like a cheetah after some gazelles, and her face was feeling as hot as the savannah during the dry season, too.

She was thinking, _'Ohh, WHY does he have to be so handsome, dreamy, nice-smelling- STOP IT, brain! You're a professional, remember? A PROFESSIONAL!'_

Her teenage obsession was beginning to break out of the mental box she'd created for it, and she was trying her best to put a weight on the lid.

"W-We should get these back to the room and get back to work." Marinette said as she quickly stood up, hugging the supplies to her chest.

"Y-Yeah." Adrien said as he also stood up.

The door opened, and one of the other staff members saw the two of them together, both of them red in the face.

"Oh, what are you two doing in here?" He asked them.

"Just... Getting some things we need for the project." Marinette said as she hurriedly left the closet and dashed off.

Adrien, still redder than a ladybug shell, tentatively stepped out, ignoring the overly-curious look on the other person's face.

"You okay? You have a fever?" The worker asked Adrien.

Instead of answering, Adrien used one finger to pull at the collar of his shirt. A big, strong blast of steam billowed out like someone had hit the release on a pressure cooker.

The suited young man looked at the blonde model like he'd seen an alien and said, "Okay... I'm just gonna go."

He dashed back to his cubicle.

Adrien let go of his collar, shook his head, and he started to follow Marinette. He passed one of the desks and saw a small vase with red and pink heart balloons in with glass marbles in the vase, also in pink and red, tied with a red ribbon.

He smiled at it and thought, _'That would look cute in Marinette's cubicle. I'm sure she'd like it, too...'_

Realizing what he was thinking, he shook his head before looking at the piece again. He'd normally get rid of such a thing when no one was looking, but looking at the balloons only made him think of Marinette even more. His heart throbbed again at the mental image of her.

 _'Chére Marinette...'_ He thought, blushing when he realized how he thought of her.

She was the only woman who didn't throw herself at him. She was also the only woman who didn't douse herself in strong, heavy perfumes. Instead, she naturally smelled of subtle bakery scents that whet his appetite for sweets, _and_ for the woman that was in his arms not even five minutes before. And she was the perfect fit in his embrace, like they were meant for one another.

"Hey, there's Monsieur Bitter Hearts staring at that vase." "He's gonna throw it out, I'm sure of it." "But look at his face. It's redder than one of the balloons."

Hearing his coworkers, he looked at them, and they all clammed up before returning to their work.

Adrien sighed before looking away, his hand in his hair in frustration. Why was he acting this way? Why was it that his body was acting like he was having a heart attack? How was it that he could be comfortable with Marinette and her Valentine's Day enthusiasm? Sure, he was comfortable around Alya, but it wasn't the same.

Lightning flashed outside as the rain continued to fall. That's when it hit him.

He'd fallen in love with Marinette. He, Monsieur Bitter Hearts, had his own empty heart stolen by the human embodiment of love and happiness herself. He'd long resigned himself to living his life without ever knowing or caring to know about love. All he needed were Nino and Alya. But then Marinette came along, and without even trying, she'd slowly wormed her way into his heart and head.

Being around her made him happy, no matter where they were or what they were doing. The way she would light up about her designs was endearing, she was funny, and he felt safe and at ease whenever he was with her. And being the best friend of Nino's girlfriend didn't hurt.

He thought to himself, _'I'm in deep shit... NOW what am I going to do?'  
_

When he calmed down, he started walking after Marinette to finish the project.

That night, Adrien was confiding everything in Nino.

"So, you and Marinette had a moment in the closet, huh?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, we did," Adrien admitted as he had his hand on his face in contemplation. "And in that moment, seeing how cute she was, I realized... I realized that I love her."

Nino blinked at him a few times. He smiled, stood up and he cheered, _"FINALLY, DUDE!"_

Adrien looked at him in confusion before saying, "What do you mean?"

"Dude, Alya and I have been trying to set the two of you up for _ages!_ " Nino told him with a smile. "I always hate leaving you alone when Alya and I have date nights, and Alya's always felt the same way with Marinette."

"Really?" Adrien asked, curious.

"Yeah, dude!" Nino said as he sat down. "Alya and I always thought the two of you would be the perfect couple! Besides us, I mean."

Adrien slowly smiled a bit before saying, "So now what? All I know is that I love her and I gotta do something."

"There's that company Valentine's Day party, right?" Nino said. "Why not make your move then?"

Adrien smiled and said, "Great idea! But..."

"You nervous?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, I am." Adrien admitted.

"Dude, I'm going to be the DJ there, remember?" Nino said. "I'll be your wingman there."

"You will? Thanks, Nino." Adrien thanked.

"Now, what about a gift for her?" Nino asked.

"A gift..." Adrien murmured. He brightened. "I've got it!"

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the day of the company Valentine's Day party was upon them.

The party was in one of the building's larger banquet rooms, that had a table with snacks, drinks, and tables set up for seating. The DJ stand was on automatic and no one was there.

Marinette was out on the floor, wearing a semi-formal dress she designed herself. It was a red cocktail dress with her hair in a bun, she was wearing black nylon stockings and her usual black flats. She had a glass of water in hand, and she was looking around and she sighed when she saw all of her colleagues either chatting it up with someone.

But no blonde dreamboat in sight.

She sighed and she thought, _'I guess Adrien isn't coming...'_

She was kicking herself for being disappointed, because she should've known. He _was_ Monsieur Bitter Hearts, after all.

Unknown to her, in the men's room...

"Alright, dude, checklist time." Nino said as he and Adrien were in the men's room, getting ready for the party. Nino was helping Adrien get in his suit, including straightening out his jacket and giving him a few accessories.

"Cologne?" Nino asked.

"Check." Adrien said as he spritzed a little bit on his neck.

"Breath mints and spray?" Nino cued.

"Check." Adrien said as he sprayed a bit of his breath spray in his mouth before showing Nino a packet of breath mints.

"Present?" Nino cued again.

"Check." Adrien confirmed as he pulled out a small gift-wrapped box.

"Good," Nino said as he went to go to the bathroom door. "I'll be on the bandstand. Now go out there and get the girl!"

Adrien looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. He adjusted his tie and said, "Okay, you can do this."

Out at the party floor, Marinette finished her rounds and she was sitting at one of the tables. She'd gotten herself a snack and some water, but as she looked up and looked amongst the crowd, she once again sighed in dejection.

She saw Nino on the bandstand in her peripheral vision. Relieved at seeing a familiar face, she stood up and walked over to him, saying, "Hey Nino."

"You, Marinette," Nino said. "How are you doing, dudette?"

"Decent," Marinette admitted. "...So, Adrien's not coming, huh?"

"Well, he normally only comes to these events because he _has_ to, being the boss's kid and all," Nino said while scratching the records. He turned to Marinette with a smile. "But I think he'll be here for another reason."

He winked at her.

Marinette blushed and she said, "...Who knows?"

"Hey, look what the cat dragged in." "Monsieur Bitter Hearts is here."

Marinette looked up and saw Adrien come in from the bathroom.

"You know he's only here because he's M. Agreste's son." "If it were up to him, he wouldn't even _be_ here." "Amen to that."

Tuning out the gossip, Adrien looked around, saw some macarons on the snack table, and he picked up a few of those and a glass of wine.

He ate a bite of the cookie and drank a little bit before breathing a bit before thinking, _'You can do this, Adrien. It's just telling Marinette you love her. No pressure.'_

Adrien looked up and saw Marinette out near the dance floor. Once again, he took a deep breath before beginning to walk over to her.

Marinette saw that Adrien had his eyes on her, and she stood up in surprise.

"Adrien," Marinette said as he made it to her. "What are you doing here? I mean, I _know_ why you're here, this company being your dad's and all, but..."

Adrien chuckled before telling her, "Yeah, I know."

Marinette's face turned red and she was _sure_ her heart was on a bullet train. Nino, seeing an opportunity, changed out the song to a romantic slow dance, and some of the workers on the floor were already pairing up for a slow dance.

Adrien looked at Nino, who nodded at him. Adrien nodded back, and he took Marinette's hand in his own.

Scratch that - her heart _was_ on a bullet train that was going _twice_ its max speed.

Adrien brought Marinette out to the dance floor and they started waltzing a little bit. Everyone in the room paused and watched with wide eyes as they watched Adrien and Marinette together. They saw the affectionate expression on Adrien's face, and the shy one on Marinette's.

"Holy cow, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" "Monsieur Bitter Hearts _dancing?_ " _"Smiling?"_ "I've been wondering if hell's frozen over, and now I _know_ it has." "But seeing him so happy is really nice."

Adrien didn't listen to them as he started wrapping his arms around her waist. Marinette, still red in the cheeks, wasn't looking him in the eyes.

"I-I-I... I'm glad you're here," Marinette confessed. "I wasn't sure you were going to come at all."

Adrien chuckled before saying, "I'm sure Nino already told you that I usually _hate_ these functions."

"...Just here to put on appearances for your dad?" Marinette asked, her face still down.

"No," Adrien admitted. "I'm here for more than that."

"What do you-" Marinette began, raising her face, but Adrien put a finger to her lips.

"Listen, Marinette, I need to talk to you. _Alone_." Adrien told her.

Marinette looked up at him from under her eyelashes, her blue eyes coming alive under the lights of the room. Her heard thudded while her mind began racing a mile a minute.

When the music was cut and everyone was going back to mingling, Adrien brought Marinette into another room where they had some more privacy away from the party.

Marinette's heart was still going and she wasn't sure if it was going to stop. Meanwhile, Adrien was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, also a bit red.

"So..." Marinette asked.

"I actually have something for you," Adrien said as he rummaged around in his pocket. "Now... Aha, here it is."

Adrien pulled out the wrapped present and gave it to Marinette.

Marinette looked at it, back to Adrien, and back to the gift before taking it. She unwrapped the box while Adrien was shuffling, antsy.

Marinette gasped in awe when she saw what he'd gifted her with.

"Th-The ladybug pendant! But how...?" Marinette said as she looked up to Adrien with surprise, only to see he was smiling at her with affection.

"Mind if I put it on you?" He asked.

Marinette nodded so fast that she was like a woodpecker. Chuckling, Adrien took the pendant in hand, went behind Marinette, and put it around her neck. He was once again blessed with Marinette's sweet bakery scents as he clasped the chain.

He went back out from behind her as Marinette looked in a wall mirror to look at the necklace on her chain.

"Listen, Marinette, I..." Adrien began, before taking a deep breath. He squared his shoulders and looked her in the eyes, determined. "I... I admit that after my mother passed, Valentine's Day wasn't a thing for me."

Marinette looked at him and used a hand cue to tell him to go on.

"I... Always had to deal with women who were after me for the money, the status, bragging rights, whatever," Adrien admitted. "It was one of many reasons I hated Valentine's Day."

Marinette nodded and her eyes went askance.

"But then you came along," Adrien stated as he stepped closer to her. "And... _Merde_ , you were something special. But between you lecturing me on Valentine's Day history and how much Nino and Alya enjoyed your company, I couldn't ignore you."

Marinette blushed as she listened.

"I..." Adrien said before taking a deep breath. "I didn't mean to, but... I ended up falling for you."

Marinette gasped in delight as her eyes began to water with joy, and her heart leaped. She looked at Adrien, who gave her that same smile and said, _"Je'taime, Marinette..."_

"I..." Marinette began, about to cry tears of joy. She looked up at him, and she told him, _"Je t'aime aussi."_

Adrien choked in delight as he walked over to Marinette, put one arm around around her waist, and used the thumb on his other hand to delicately trace her lips. She looked up at him.

"...May I...?" Adrien asked, his voice above a whisper.

She gave him a nod, and Adrien slammed his lips onto hers.

He dipped her down by the waist, gently stroking her hair with his hand before cupping her on the back of the neck.

The two of them kept moaning as they were kissing, their lips moving with each other as the rest of the world fell away.

They broke their lips away for the sheer sake of breathing, both of them looking at each other with passion on their faces.

"So... How about a date at my place after this party? You can trounce me at UMS again, but don't think I'll make it easy for you." Adrien suggested.

"I'd love that." Marinette admitted before giggling.

"What's so funny?" Adrien asked, quirking a brow.

"So, do you still think you deserve to be called Monsieur Bitter Hearts after tonight?" Marinette asked in a teasing tone with a matching flirtatious look.

"I don't think so," Adrien chuckled in reply. "I'm _feline_ like that name needs to be retired. I'm starting to go from bitter to sweet, don't you agree?"

Marinette held back a laugh and said, "Oh, stop..."

He was smiling back at her as he said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Marinette."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Adrien." Marinette replied as she once again cupped Adrien's cheek with her hand.

The model pulled Marinette in for another kiss. The two of them moaned in bliss as Adrien's hand moved from Marinette's neck to her back and Marinette moved her hand from his cheek to his shoulder.

The ladybug pendant caught the light, and one could swear it was winking as the pair continued to make out.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's that for this one-shot! Hope you enjoyed it! Now after letting my brain relax for a while (maybe a week or so - seeing some of those new S4 spoilers stressed me out, I'm lacking some inspiration right now, and I'm still hoping we'll see Rena Rouge and company again in the future in series proper. She and Viperion are two of my favs), I can get back to some Luka VS. Félix stuff I've been working on here on AO3. Check it out if you want.
> 
> Now, before anyone gets on my case about the hot sauce prank, Nino actually went easy on Adrien. VERY easy. Poblano peppers are closer to the bottom on the Scoville Heat Scale (measure of how spicy/hot the capsaicin [the chemical that makes chilis spicy]). They're milder than jalapeños, actually.
> 
> If Nino REALLY wanted to make Adrien suffer, he would've gone at least to jalapeños, which are the most common and most popular. The highest on the scale would've been Ghost or Carolina Reaper chilis, which are SO dangerous that eating one can land you in the hospital and burn a hole in your esophagus - NO LIE, THIS HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO SOMEONE.
> 
> People have different levels of tolerance for heat (I've got zilch, so no spicy food for me), so when it comes to chili peppers, know your limits.
> 
> HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, MIRACULERS!


End file.
